Green Lake 1905 Dutch Colonial - SOLD

Seattle, Washington

Green Lake is the neighborhood in which I raised my family, putting back together one of the few original big-boned and big-hearted farmhouses in the area. The owners of this Dutch Colonial approached me for advice after having owned it as an investment property for 20+ years. Obviously there is a difference when a house has been lived in by tenants rather than owners so evaluating the highest and best use of this property was fundamental. It’s prime location, rare-as-hen’s-teeth detached garage on an alley, existing spaces and distinctive architecture made it an ideal candidate for a design/builder to be the likely buyer, who would take the charming essentials and create a new larger home with the ideal floor plan which are desired by modern families and in such short supply in the in-city neighborhoods. I did locate the builder and a two year project ensued.

The house was completely gutted and jacked up, adding a new foundation and above ground level lower floor was built. The square footage was doubled with an new addition in the back (merging the roof lines harmoniously was no small feat). The wish-list floor plan was realized beautifully with beautiful finishes, lovely materials and exquisite craftsmanship. It was sold immediately.

“If you are looking for a knowledgeable, experienced, tireless real estate agent who will always look to protect and better your interests Joanmarie Curran is the one!” - Shimon W.

“You demonstrated a thorough knowledge of a unique market place and circumstances. You had a good handle on the ebb and flow of the market and times things very well for putting our house into play. Your guidance always made great sense and made it easy for us to make important and timely decisions”. –Jay D.

A similar situation occurred in Laurelhurst:

“Joanmarie worked with my wife and me for close to two years while we prepared my mother-in-law's Laurelhurst home for sale following her death in 2011. We had many decisions to make regarding the house itself. Should we try to rent it and wait for the market to improve? Should we put money into repair? How much should we ask (not an easy question to answer because comparables were nearly non-existent)? Was the highest and best value as a teardown or would someone one to remodel what was there? We also had a tax appeal to file due a grossly overstated value on the part of the assessor. Joanmarie helped us work through all of these issues, decisions, and more. Joanmarie spent the time to really dig into the market to understand it. She worked her extensive network of potential buyers, contractors, roofers, etc. for whatever resource was needed to move the transaction forward. Joanmarie's resource network is amazing. She also helped with the property tax appeal. She was able to find enough data for us obtain a substantial adjustment. In the end, when she located an interested buyer, she helped us put together a deal that we felt was fair to both parties. Discussions were based on transparency and open communication. She was ready and able to provide us with great advice during the final negotiations and really carried the ball until the deal was done. At no time during the entire process did we feel pressured or hassled. ..an unqualified positive reference. She is the best of the best. “ -Dave W.Sadly: My wife passed away unexpectedly several months after the house was sold. I know that were she still here she would be joining me in providing Joanmarie with an unqualified positive reference. She is the best of the best.